The Good Life
As days warm and nights lengthen, what could be better than beauty and skincare that complements the warmth, happiness and sun-dappled delights of summer? Look good with these feelgood products, from fresh lip colours to radiant face oil
THE CLEANSER
Super Sensitive Cleansing Cream, £55, Votary
Summer skin can be sensitive and reactive. Thankfully, the latest launch from natural skincare brand Votary is a calming cleanser designed to deal with redness. The brand’s first non-oil, rinse-off formula melts away dirt, impurities and makeup, while supporting the skin’s essential barrier function. With Votary’s unique blend of 21 super seed oils to nourish, soothe and enhance, as well as oat extract and a proven calming complex, it’s a potent blend.
THE TRAVEL PILLOW
Jet Setter Travel Pillow, £99, Slip
Prescribed a silk pillowcase to improve her acne, Fiona Stewart sourced the finest mulberry silk. The results were so dramatic that she launched Slip. Now the brand boasts scrunchies and turbans that minimise damage to your hair, and pillows and eyemasks that reduce sleep creases. Its latest Dolce Vita designs are inspired by an Italian summer.
THE TOOTHBRUSH
Sustainable Electric Toothbrush, £75, Suri
Each year, four billion toothbrushes are thrown away – enough to circle the earth twelve times. So it’s little surprise that Suri, with its recyclable heads and reusable design, is becoming the sustainable toothbrush of the moment. Perfect for taking on holiday, its battery lasts for more than forty days, while the brush comes in a slimline travel case with a built-in UV light that kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria on the bristles.
THE EYE PALETTE
Pure Paradise Eye Quad, £43 and Afterglow Liquid Blush, £37.50, both Nars
Want a quick ticket to a sun-kissed glow? Nars’s tropical island-inspired Pure Paradise range includes the sunset-evoking Light Reflecting Setting Powder and quad eyeshadow inspired by the peachy-pink Nars Orgasm blush – ideal for summer. Then there’s the light and creamy Afterglow range, whose liquid blush is loaded with hydrating agents (including antioxidant-rich vitamin E that fights environmental aggressors) and which brings a radiant rush of colour.
THE BRONZER
Skin Fetish: Divine Bronzer, £40, Pat McGrath Labs
Looking for a bronzer to sculpt, define and bring radiance this summer? This micro-velvet powder bronzer by Pat McGrath Labs is luxuriously smooth and infused with luminosity. A blend of oil-absorbing powders and micro-refined golden pearls locks radiance into your complexion, for a sun-kissed glow. In eight demi-matte colours designed for all skin tones, it has been carefully crafted to balance red, golden, and neutral hues, as well as create that face-framing definition.
THE SUN CREAM
Sun Cream Body SPF30, £110, Dr. Barbara Sturm
Hot on the heels of the Super Anti-Aging Body Serum, Scrub and Cleansing Cream comes Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Sun Cream Body with SPF30. Lightweight, non-greasy and marine-friendly, there isn’t much it can’t do, including protecting against UVA and UVB rays, sun and photo-ageing. It also nourishes the skin, with extract of superfruit lingonberry, purslane and vitamin E to ward off free-radical stress, and prickly pear and panthenol to calm redness. Best is the menthol that gives it a cooling effect and minty fragrance.
THE HAIR TREATMENT
Nutriplenish Replenishing Overnight Serum, £42, Aveda
Sun-stressed, dried-out hair needs vegan haircare brand Aveda’s transformative, lightweight treatment. Designed to replenish overnight, its nutrient-rich superfood complex – mango butter, organic coconut oil and organic pomegranate oil – creates an invisible layer of power-packed nourishment, to rehydrate dry, brittle strands. After eight hours, your hair will be replenished and manageable.
THE FRAGRANCE
Eau Nabata, £210, Diptyque
Diptyque’s captivating summer fragrance launch is Eau Nabati. The work of perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin, the eau de parfum captures the essence of a lush paradise garden on the Mediterranean coast. Balancing the warmth of amber with the fresh notes of citrusy bergamot, cooling green petitgrain and the sweet scent of Peruvian balsam, its intriguing layers create a burst of rich, botanical beauty.
THE LIPSTICK
Lipstick, £62, Dries Van Noten
When it comes to uplifting colour, it doesn’t get more sunshine-bright than
Dries Van Noten’s refillable lipstick range. Simply choose a case and your colour from more than thirty shades, in satin, sheer and matte finishes. They add a pop of the designer’s amazing eye for print and colour to your day.
THE SUPPLEMENT
The Essentials, £15, The Nue Co.
Boosting wellness is always a focus in summer. That’s why The Nue Co has launched The Essentials, a collection of everyday vitamins and minerals to support cell function growth and repair, immunity, hormone health and energy. Highly absorbable, carefully sourced and at the optimum dosage, they ensure we get all the nutrients we need, including vitamins B and C, iron and a powerful multi-mushroom complex that supports healthy brain function and neuron generation.
THE CANDLE
Candle, £45, Discothèque
Summer calls for scents that captures the season’s joyful vibe. Step forward Discothèque, the candle brand created to evoke parties and clubs of the disco era. Made in the UK from high-grade vegan wax, and presented in hand-sprayed glass jars, the candles come in nine fragrances. ‘Upstairs’ features clove, tobacco and cinnamon inspired by Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club; ‘Hacienda’ features mandarin, apple and bergamot; and ‘Paradise Garage’ features orange blossom, blackcurrant and honey.
THE LIP COLOUR
Essential lip compact, £72, Fara Homidi
When it comes to colour, the name on everyone’s lips is Fara Homidi. The Afghani makeup artist presents a refillable lip duo that preps and finishes in one compact. The longwearing matte colour – lightweight but highly pigmented – feels smooth and comfortable. In four shades, it delivers a cream-to-powder finish that you simply layer over the cushiony Prime Baume.
THE FACE CREAM
Avoir It All Nurturing Phyto Oil, £64, Ulé
Looking for a product that nourishes skin inside and out? Exclusively at Space NK is French skincare brand Ulé. Its Phyto oil can be used topically and orally to support skin from within. All the ingredients are sustainably sourced and grown by the brand’s vertical farm outside Paris. Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, it comforts, hydrates and protects.
THE EYE GELS
Serve Chilled On Ice Firming Eye Gels, £14, Patchology
Hot, dry indoor air can irritate our eyes at this time of year, while makeup removal and heavy creams overburden our skin. Patchology’s new Served On Ice firming eye gels give a deliciously refreshing boost to tired eyes. Simply pop them in the fridge before using and allow the cooling gel – and cocktail of skin-smoothing, de-puffing ingredients – to brighten the whole eye area. Boasting bauchiol, a plant-based alternative to anti-ageing retinol, cloudberry oil, a potent source of vitamin C and peptides to keep skin firm and plump, they are effective and fast.
THE MERMAID HAIR
Five Step System, £70, Merwave
Embrace beach-worthy waves with Merwave’s five-step kit. It awakens natural movement and reduces frizz, so hair becomes softer and waves become more defined and stay intact for days. Begin with the shampoo and conditioner, then the Feed treatment that infuses the hair with nutrients. Foam locks in waves and adds lift at the roots. Finally, a lightweight gel gives you a beautifully bouncy wave.